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WILMINGTON — Defenseman Mark Stuart was diagnosed yesterday with a broken right ring finger and is expecetd to miss 4-6 weeks.

Stuart suffered the injury in the first period of the 3-2 overtime win against Buffalo Tuesday while blocking a shot. According to a team release, Stuart fractured the finger and dislocated the phalangeal joint. He will not require surgery.

In 26 games, Stuart has zero goals and two assists while averaging 16:43 of ice time. He was limited to 56 games last year because of a series of injuries (broken sternum, broken finger, infection). Stuart is an unrestricted free agent after this season.

To replace the stay-at-home defenseman, the Bruins recalled rookie Steven Kampfer from Providence on an emergency basis. Kampfer got word Tuesday night and drove from Providence to Wilmington yesterday morning, arriving with hours to spare.

“Just didn’t want to be late on the first day,’’ Kampfer said with a smile.

On March 2, the Bruins acquired Kampfer’s rights from Anaheim for a fourth-round pick. He played four years at the University of Michigan, including one season alongside ex-Bruin Matt Hunwick.

Like Hunwick, the 5-foot-10-inch, 188-pound Kampfer is an undersized, puck-moving defenseman. He impressed management and the coaching staff during training camp, often paired with Zdeno Chara.

In 20 games for Providence, Kampfer had three goals and 13 assists. Prior to his departure, he got a pep talk from coach Rob Murray.

“He just said to keep playing my game,’’ Kampfer said. “He said, ‘That’s the reason why you’re getting called up. Just keep playing that way, keep your confidence up, and hopefully we don’t see you again.’ ’’

Kampfer, a right-shot defenseman, will make his NHL debut tonight against the Islanders. Kampfer could be paired with Dennis Seidenberg.

Chara, who had been skating with Andrew Ference, could be reunited with Johnny Boychuk. Ference would then skate on the third pairing with Adam McQuaid.

“He’s having a good year. I think it’s an opportunity for him to step in and show us that he’s a good puck-moving defenseman. It’s something that we need.

“We liked his training camp. We liked the way he handled himself under pressure. Hopefully we see more of that in this next little while.’’

Sturm deal, Part 2 Yesterday, Marco Sturm found himself in a familiar position: on Patrice Bergeron’s left side.

Sturm, once Bergeron’s regular left wing, was back with his center during practice at Ristuccia Arena. Sturm alternated with Blake Wheeler on the No. 2 line as he made it through his latest practice in his comeback from knee surgery. That return, however, is not expected to take place in Black and Gold.

According to a league source, the Bruins continue to work on trading Sturm. A deal could be made this week.

One week ago, Sturm believed he had been traded to Los Angeles. He had agreed to waive his no-trade clause, freeing the Bruins to move him and the remainder of his $3.5 million annual salary. The deal broke down, but given that the Kings have not acquired any up-front help since then, the two clubs could come to an agreement this time.

Sturm started taking contact in practice Monday but has yet to participate in battle drills. He estimated that he’s 10-14 days away from playing.

“He’s skating well,’’ said Julien. “He seems to be getting into traffic and feeling comfortable with that. Certainly encouraging news for him.’’

When Sturm is eventually moved, it will resolve the awkward situation that has lingered since the original trade fell through. He has tried to remain his upbeat self, but it has been a challenging week.

“I’m not happy with the situation,’’ Sturm said. “It’s been hard on me and my family, too. It’s not fun, but you just have to try to make the best of it, then see what happens.’’

“It’s in the paper everywhere. It doesn’t matter where we go. Everyone’s asking us. I have to answer a lot of calls and a lot of questions. It’s not fun.’’

Close call for Savard Marc Savard, carved up by Buffalo’s Luke Adam in overtime Tuesday, still had a red welt on his right cheek yesterday. Adam’s stick blade almost caught Savard in the right eye. Savard does not wear a shield, but said he probably should after his close call. Savard’s biggest complaint is that sweat runs down the visor when he bends over and rests with his stick on his knees. “The drips go all over my shield,’’ he said. “I’ve got to get used to keeping my chin up between plays. I’ll go out there for a faceoff when I start my shift. I’ll be bent over like I am normally, and I’ve got all these drips before the shift’s even started.’’ . . . Milan Lucic suffered a cut on his left wrist in Tuesday’s third period when he was nicked by the skate of Tyler Ennis. Lucic practiced without limitations. “Definitely dodged a bullet,’’ Lucic said. “I tried out some wrist guards today. It didn’t feel any different from when I didn’t wear them. Maybe I’ll try out something to stay a little safer. We’ll see how they work.’’